Scotland set for penultimate game at Hampden before the World Cup
Japan have won their previous three matches
Recommended bet: Both teams to score
Scotland welcome Japan to Hampden Park for their penultimate fixture at the ground ahead of the World Cup finals.
The Scots move on to play Ivory Coast on Tuesday as preparations continue, but that clash is taking place at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool.
Steve Clarke has led the nation to their first World Cup finals since 1998 and a friendly against Japan is welcome preparation.
The Asian nation are on a run of three consecutive victories and will be playing in their eighth successive World Cup this summer.
The latest Scotland vs Japan odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Team news
Clarke could use these games against Japan and Ivory Coast to experiment with his squad.
Ben Gannon-Doak will miss the matches through injury, but John McGinn and Scott McTominay have recovered from recent setbacks.
Elsewhere, Nathan Patterson returns to the squad after missing several games last year, while Billy Gilmour has also been included. He missed the matches against Greece and Denmark in November.
Ko Itakura and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both unavailable for Japan for this match.
Furthermore, Take Kubo and Takumi Minamino are absent, while Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo has recently had surgery on his ankle and it remains to be seen whether he recovers in time for the World Cup.
The stats
Scotland and Japan have met on three previous occasions. The first two games came in the Kirin Cup, with the two nations battling out 0-0 draws in 1995 and 2006.
The Scots actually won the latter competition thanks to that stalemate, but they lost 2-0 to Japan in the last meeting between these two countries in October 2009.
Although the hosts have qualified for three major tournaments since 2021, Scotland have won only two friendlies at Hampden since the start of 2016.
They may have beaten Liechtenstein in 2025, but this was their first friendly victory since a 2-0 win over Gibraltar before Euro 2024.
Both teams have scored in all four of the Scotland's previous matches, while both teams have found the back of the net in two of Japan's last four games.
Blue Samurai have sealed victories over Brazil, Ghana and South Korea in the last 12 months and have not lost to Scotland in three previous games.
The latest Scotland vs Japan odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
With the pressure off Clarke at the moment, he will be looking for his squad to give a good performance at Hampden on Saturday.
Japan are an excellent side and a positive display will boost confidence heading into the clash against Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
Entering the game on a three-game winning run, the visitors will be hopefully of making that four in Glasgow on Saturday evening.
It will be an intriguing clash for sure, one that could see plenty of action at both ends of the pitch.
